Julien Laurens questions why Liverpool and Manchester United bypassed Mamadou Sangare

French football analyst Julien Laurens has publicly questioned why Liverpool and Manchester United declined to pursue Mamadou Sangare during the recent transfer window. The Mali international ultimately joined Brentford for a club-record fee of approximately £41 million. Sangare earned a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year last season after helping Lens qualify for the Champions League and ranking second in the league for tackles won. Despite reportedly scouting the midfielder throughout the previous campaign, both Premier League clubs opted against formalizing their interest. Laurens identified the player as a standout talent who could contend for Signing of the Season honors. The analyst suggested that top clubs may be waiting for players to prove themselves at mid-tier platforms before committing to higher transfer fees.

• 9:00 AMYahoo Sports — How did Liverpool and Man United let Mamadou Sangare slip to Brentford? French pundit hails Ligue 1 star as season’s best buy